Faithfully antique but markedly original were Marcel Proust's words to describe Mariano Fortuny's fabrics in the early 1900s and how very true that sentiment remains today.
Before we even received the copy of this book we were charmed by its elegant cover, and as longstanding lovers of the luxurious Fortuny brand, we expected nothing short of a truly Good Read. But when we opened the book to find the first line on the very first page was the above quote by Marcel Proust we were even more enchanted. Proust, after all, is at the epicenter of our most popular column on CLOTH & KIND titled Proust on Design. Yes, we already loved this book and we were only on page one.
In Fortuny Interiors, author Brian D. Coleman educates us not only about the beginnings of this fascinating company including how Mariano breathed life into his fabrics by creating new techniques like hand stamping of velvets, silks and cottons and how his true passion for art and painting fueled his textile designs, but photographer Erik Kvalsvik also gives us glimpse after glimpse into the homes in which some of these stunningly beautiful fabrics have been used.
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Oh, and we got all excited over the Fabric Appendix at the back of the book. What a cool and highly useful way to see all of the Fortuny patterns available in simple, black & white form. Our imaginations were going wild looking at these and envisioning all of the amazing custom colorways we could create.
If only Mariano were alive today... how we'd adore having him answer our Proust on Design questionnaire. His answers would undoubtedly be as fascinating and brilliant as his textiles are.
If, like us, you can't get enough then check out our recent post on Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo's Show & Tell featuring her personal favorite Fortuny fabric, then make haste and get yourself to the nearest local bookstore or Amazon to snag a copy of Fortuny Interiors. Your creative self and your coffee table will be all the happier for it.
IMAGE CREDITS | Original photography by Erik Kvalsvik. All images taken of Fortuny Interiors for this blog post by Krista Nye Schwartz of CLOTH & KIND.